Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a nuclear replicating, icosahedral, enveloped DNA virus that can cause blisters and sores almost anywhere on the skin, usually around the mouth and nose, or on the genitals and buttocks. The sores associated with HSV infections may be painful and unsightly. For immunosuppressed patient and neonates, HSV infection can be serious and sometimes fatal.
HSV exists in two forms, HSV-1, which is usually associated with infections of the lips, mouth, and face, and, HSV-2, which is commonly associated with infections of the genitalia. Occasionally HSV can infect the eye, causing blindness in some cases. Although active HSV infections typically resolve without treatment, because HSV latently infects nerve cells, active infections tend to recur.
There is no known cure for HSV infection. Vaccines for preventing HSV infection in humans are not currently available. Conventional treatment of HSV infection is oral administration of anti-viral medications such as acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir. These are used to treat active outbreaks and to suppress recurrences. Although generally safe and effective, these drugs cannot eliminate a latent HSV infection.
Accordingly, what is needed is a new treatment modality that continuously produces antiviral agents that block replication of herpes-viruses in sensory neurons where they remain latent, diminishing the likelihood of viral reactivation. Such a new treatment modality could also protect against viral replication in the cornea, where recurrent infections lead to scarring and blindness.